1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a robot cleaner, which is also known as an automatic cleaner, and to a method for operating the robot cleaner. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a robot cleaner which may execute selective cleaning of foreign substances. The present disclosure further relates to a robot cleaning system having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, cleaners are home appliances which remove foreign substances from the floor by suction. A cleaner which autonomously executes cleaning is referred to as a robot cleaner. Such a robot cleaner typically removes foreign substances from the floor by suction while traveling using driving force of a motor operated by a rechargeable battery.
For example, robot cleaners facilitate the cleaning of a room by automatically cleaning a floor of the room without any interaction of the user. The robot cleaner moves by a driving force of a motor operated by a battery to suction and remove a foreign substance from a floor surface.
Generally, the robot cleaner includes a travelling device which is installed on a main body. The main body forms the outer appearance of the robot cleaner. The travelling device is configured to move the robot cleaner in a predetermined direction through the room to allow the robot cleaner to suction a foreign substance from a floor surface. The robot cleaner includes at least one suction port which is disposed on the bottom of the main body to suction any foreign substance from the floor. Additionally, the robot cleaner typically includes a main brush, which rotates and directly contacts the floor to transport the foreign substance to the suction port.
A robot cleaner may further include a side brush assembly for corner-cleaning. The side brush may be adapted for predetermined cleaning operations. The side brush assembly makes it possible to transport and/or move a foreign substance which is not located under the main body to the suction port. This increases the cleaning area without fully covering the area with the main body of the robot cleaner. The side-brush assembly may rotate relative to the main body to move foreign substance located at the outside of the main body toward the suction port.
However, because robot cleaners often operate when the user is not present, there might be situations in which automatic cleaning is not desired. For example, automatic cleaning may be undesirable when the cleaner moves in a children's room and detects a small toy. Another situation in which automatic cleaning should be avoided, is, when a pet's excrement or foreign material (e.g., pee and poop) is on the floor. Indeed, automatic cleaning may only worsen the cleaning state by smearing or distributing the excrements throughout the room.